Ask Jeeves Ranked #1 in User Satisfaction and Loyalty for Fourth Consecutive Quarter in National Survey of Internet Users
EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1999--
Question Answering Service Voted First in Five Categories Including Site Effectiveness, Overall Opinion of Guide and Frequency of Finding
Information Sought
For the fourth quarter in a row, the Ask Jeeves Consumer Question Answering Service at Ask.com was ranked first in overall user satisfaction in a recent survey conducted by independent research firm, NPD Group, Inc. Ask Jeeves (Nasdaq: ASKJ), which provides natural-language question answering services on the Web for consumers and companies, placed first in five of the survey's seven user satisfaction categories, resulting in a first place rating in overall "User Satisfaction and Loyalty."
Twelve major Internet companies participated in the survey: Alta Vista, AOL, Ask Jeeves, Excite, GoTo, Hot Bot, Go Network, LookSmart, Lycos, Netscape, Web Crawler, and Yahoo. Consumers rated Ask Jeeves as the number one service in the following categories:
*T
- Overall site effectiveness - Ask.com was judged on general
attributes such as ease of use, reliability, organization, up-to-date information and comprehensive results.
- "Excellent" overall opinion of guide - Ask.com was rated
"excellent" when compared to search services.
- Frequency of finding information sought - Respondents reported
that they found what they were looking for more often on Ask.com
than on any other service.
- Comparison versus other guides - A majority of survey
participants rated Ask.com "much better" than other guides.
- Action after unsuccessful search - More often than not, participants continued to use Ask.com rather than switching to
another service.
"The findings of the NPD survey validates our intuitive question answering approach," said Ted Briscoe, senior vice president and general manager, Ask Jeeves Consumer Question Answering Service. "We remain focused on building the knowledge base supporting Ask.com to continue to provide people with an effective, satisfying way to interact with the Web."
About the Survey
The NPD survey was conducted among more than 50,000 qualified respondents July 19 through August 1, 1999. Average respondents to the survey were 34 years of age or under, had been online for two to four years, and had an average online session of one to two hours. Among the topics polled in the survey was searching by natural-language. According to NPD, over the last year there has been a steady increase in the practice of using questions, or natural-language, when searching the Web. Since November 1998, the number of people searching by asking questions in plain English has increased five-fold.
About Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Ask Jeeves provides natural-language question answering services for consumers and companies on the Web by allowing users to ask questions in plain English and be directed to Web sites containing the answer. The Consumer Question Answering Service at Ask.com makes it easier for people to quickly find relevant information, products and services throughout the Internet. The Corporate Question Answering Service, which provides question answering services for company Web sites, helps companies manage customer interactions for electronic commerce and support. Both services are based on Ask Jeeves' proprietary technology, using knowledge bases containing questions and answers to connect consumers to answers. The knowledge bases are designed to become more intelligent with use and can be integrated together to create a question answering network. For more information visit ask.com or call 510.985.7400.
About The NPD Group
The NPD Group is an international marketing information company headquartered in Port Washington, NY. Founded in 1953, the firm specializes in providing marketing information and associated computer software-based information management systems. NPD is the ninth largest market research firm in the U.S. based upon 1997 revenues, according to the American Marketing Association's Honomichl 50. NPD Online Research is a division of The NPD Group, which uses World Wide Web-based technologies to conduct and deliver market research and analysis. In addition to SiteSelect, NPD Online Research also offers The NPD Online Panel, a pre-recruited sample of Internet representative individuals for conducting marketing research on the Web. For more information visit the NPD Group Web site at www.npd.com.
This news release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that such results or events discussed in these statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Ask Jeeves with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically its recent S-1 registration statement which identify important risk factors such as the Company's limited operating history, history of losses and anticipation of continued losses, potential volatility of quarterly operating results, and other risks that are contained in the Company's reports and documents filed from time to time with the SEC.
Ask Jeeves, Ask Jeeves for Kids and Ask.com are service marks of Ask Jeeves, Inc.
--30--kbc/cgo*
CONTACT: Company Contact: Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Brent Jones, 510/985-7684
brent@ask.com
or
Contact:
Interactive Public Relations
Michael Azzano, 415/703-0400 X227
michael-azzano@ipri.com |
